Vietnamese gamers may have been restricted access to Steam. This is reported by the SteamDB service, which drew attention to mass complaints from users from Vietnam.
According to some Vietnamese residents, when trying to log into Steam, error 102 occurs with a message stating that it is impossible to connect to the server. The problem can sometimes be solved by changing the DNS.
However, some users say that everything is fine with them. They suggest that Steam may have been blocked by individual providers.
It is noteworthy that complaints about Steam blocking in Vietnam appeared shortly after a number of Vietnamese publishers criticized Steam in an interview with VietNamNet. They stated that Steam allows gaming companies to circumvent local laws. The fact is that in Vietnam, as in China, it is necessary to obtain a license from the regulator to publish games in the country. A license may be granted if, for example, there is a lot of violence in the game. Nevertheless, thousands of unlicensed games are available on Steam.
"Steam, among other things, releases violent and adult games in Vietnam, but does not ask for permission. This is unfair to domestic publishers. The authorities must take action against this foreign platform, otherwise the local publishers will die," one of the interlocutors told VietNamNet.
It is worth noting that Valve does not have an office in Vietnam. Its absence makes it difficult for the country's authorities to control Steam.
Valve has not commented on the possible blocking of Steam in Vietnam.